It is common practice in shipping to use a label to carry the shipping address for a package and a separate packing list to describe the package contents. Typically, the packing list is placed inside the package or in a clear plastic pouch or envelope attached by adhesive to the outside of the package. The advantage of the pouch or envelope is that information regarding the contents can be obtained without opening the package.
Several prior art inventions have combined the shipping label and packing list on a common multilayer form so they are printed simultaneously by an impact printing device that can print through multiple layers with carbons or equivalents. Others have made the shipping label and packing list co-planar for printing side-by-side or sequentially in a non-impact printer such as a thermal or laser printer. None of these labels, however, are useful for direct thermal printing applications. In direct thermal printing, heat is applied directly to the stock to create the printed image, and as a result direct thermal stock is more sensitive to light, heat, and abrasion than other types of stock. Thus, labels made from direct thermal stock are often susceptible to “bruising” or kinetic imaging during production, handling, and/or shipping. Unwanted images or markings on the stock may, at best, obscure the printed packing list or, at worst, make the label unusable.
Thus, there is a need for a unitary printable slip and protective label assembly that may be used for direct thermal printing applications, is easy to affix to a receiving face, and provides for quick and reliable access to the slip.